Collaboration between Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire
Constabulary and Hertfordshire Constabulary
Working with other police forces can bring enormous benefits,
such as increased resilience and economies of scale. In the context
of the significant financial challenges that the Constabulary is
currently facing, collaborative working is seen as a key option to
achieving savings.
Bedfordshire Police is continuing to develop opportunities to
collaborate effectively with Hertfordshire and, more recently,
Cambridgeshire Constabulary has joined us to form a three-force
Strategic Policing Alliance that will explore options for further
joint initiatives.
The overarching priority is to ensure that we deliver a policing
service to communities in Bedfordshire that is as resilient,
efficient and effective as possible, at a time when we are faced
with considerable financial constraints like all other public
services.
To date the following joint units have been established:
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Dog Unit – April
2009
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Civil Contingencies &
Public Order Planning Unit – September 2009
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Police Pensions Payroll &
Administration Unit – November 2010
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire ICT Department – December
2010
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Firearms Licensing Unit –
March 2011
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit – April
2011
- Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Graphic Design & Print
Unit – April 2011
- Procurement Department for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire &
Hertfordshire – April 2011
- Professional Standards Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire
& Hertfordshire - January 2012
- Scientific Services Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire &
Hertfordshire – April 2012
- Armed Policing Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire &
Hertfordshire – April 2012
- Major Crime Unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire &
Hertfordshire, April 2012All these collaborative initiatives are
underpinned by legal agreements under Section 23 of the Police Act
1996 between the respective police authorities and Chief Constables
detailing governance arrangements.
- Counter Terrorism & Domestic Extremism Unit for
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Hertfordshire – November
2012
A dedicated joint programme team continues to explore
opportunities for further collaborative work, predominantly between
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, building on these
recent successes. The team comprises officers and staff from
all three forces.
Not all services are suitable for collaboration with other
forces, for example neighbourhood policing must retain its very
local focus. However, we will explore all other options to develop
joint services with Hertfordshire Constabulary, Cambridgeshire
Constabulary and other forces and partners, both locally and across
the country. The financial challenge is imminent so it will be
important that work on further collaboration is developed with all
urgency.
Download the East
Region Collaboration Strategy